Heat-shrinkable packaging films have found many useful applications in packaging of meats, cheeses, poultry and numerous other food and non-food products. There is always the need for improved heat-shrinkable packaging films and bags or pouches fabricated therefrom, with particular improvement needed in regard to the sealing characteristics, final package quality or appearance and processability relative to multilayered films.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,801,486 to Quacquarella et al. discloses a multilayer heat-shrinkable film suitable for packaging food articles wherein the film may comprise a heat-sealable layer comprising an ethylene/α-olefin copolymer.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,234,731 to Ferguson describes a multilayer heat-shrinkable film structure having at least six layers includes a heat-sealable layer containing a blend of ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer and linear low density polyethylene. The film may also include a first ethylene/α-olefin copolymer in a first core layer and a second ethylene/α-olefin copolymer in a second core layer.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,834,077 to Babrowicz discloses films for packaging products which may be four to twenty layers having in a heat-sealable layer, a first ethylene/α-olefin copolymer and in an outer non-heat-sealable film layer, a second ethylene/α-olefin copolymer. These films may also have an inner heat-sealable layer comprising a blend of a ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer and linear low density polyethylene.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,437,054 to Eckstein et al also describes multilayer heat-shrinkable films with ethylene/α-olefin copolymers. These structures are three or five layers comprising the same ethylene/α-olefin copolymer in an outer or inner layer as is in an internal layer, the same ethylene/α-olefin copolymer in both an outer layer and an inner layer, or the same ethylene/α-olefin copolymer in an outer layer, an inner layer and an internal layer.